Cannon released a statement Tuesday, saying in part, "I am always seeking new challenges and continual growth and decided to obtain my first college degree from an institution that had a proven legacy of producing great minds. I have friends, mentors and colleagues who attended Howard University. I have heard about the famed Howard Homecoming since I was a kid growing up in California and knew that Howard would be the perfect place for me to further my education."

The announcement has drawn many comparisons to "Drumline," the 2002 movie in which Cannon played a freshman adjusting to life in the band at Atlanta A&T University, a fictional historically black college.